Have you had a conversation with your loved ones to understand what their wishes are when they pass on? It’s not a comfortable conversation to have, but, at the same time, it doesn’t need to be uncomfortable. When you start getting into it, the ideas that percolate may be inspiring and lead to a true celebration of life when the time comes. Figuring out what to do in the wake of a loss is far more uncomfortable and anxiety-ridden than starting the conversation while they’re still around.
In this spirit, we thought we’d take a moment to dwell on six different ways folks cater to post-life wishes and destinations outside of the traditional burial funeral arrangement. You can get pretty creative with the placement of cremated remains; this list serves as just a few potential ideas to ponder.
Memorial Tree Burial
Yeah, we know; we’re putting ourselves at the top here. But this list isn’t weighted. We want to paint a picture of a more permanent memorialization location that you and all of your family and friends can cherish for generations to come. A memorial tree burial enables you to bury a loved one’s ashes on a plot of land that you can visit whenever you’d like in a serene location with your choice of tree that symbolizes said loved one’s personality or physical stature. Different trees represent different spiritual embodiments, so there’s a lot of meaning rooted in this type of arrangement.
Water Burial
A question that often comes up when discussing the spreading of a loved one’s ashes is whether or not the destination has stipulations regarding this distribution. The good news is that there are no laws prohibiting the spreading of ashes in New Hampshire. That said, it’s commendable of you to be concerned here. Asking questions is good, and, depending on where you’re thinking, it’s worth touching base with proper authorities to understand if there’s something you need to keep in mind. With regard to water burials, New Hampshire is unique in the sense that it offers 18 miles of coastline for ocean lovers wishing to be set out to sea, and myriad lakes and plentiful options for rivers and streams throughout the state. For the oceanic resting place, the EPA stipulates 30-days’ notice of such a ceremony and that it happen three nautical miles from shore.
Public Property Dissemination
Oftentimes, when the subject of where to spread ashes is presented, an immediate wish is for it to happen on a piece of property that a person spent a lot of time on that has significant sentimental value. For instance, public parks where special moments were shared hold a spot high on that list. As mentioned in the last entry, there are no strict laws prohibiting you from spreading ashes on public property, but it would be wise to check in with local officials to ensure you’re not inadvertently disturbing anything. Public property scattering is a popular option so family and friends can continue to host picnics and applicable memorialization get-togethers at that park for eternity.
Spreading Ashes on Hiking Trails
Given our location in New Hampshire, there’s a vast contingency of hikers and outdoor enthusiasts who enjoy a life of exploring trails in state and national parks (hello, Appalachian Trail!), as well as the White Mountain National Forest. It makes perfect sense then that this type of person might find it appropriate to spread their remains along the trail of their favorite adventure. There are no formal rules against spreading ashes along the trail, but it’s probably best to keep it relatively discrete (use your best judgment). Some sources also suggest that you can write up and mail a formal request to the applicable party that manages the site you’re thinking of spreading cremated remains at. You can find it on the park’s website by searching the database at www.nps.gov.
Permanent Vacation
Many people choose to spread the ashes of a loved one in a favorite destination that they enjoyed in life. Or a place they had intended on visiting but never got the chance to. This is a fun option and gives the excuse to continually visit that destination, but it can pose a logistic challenge depending on where that location is. Being mindful of this is important. We find that a lot of folks are looking for a memorial that they can visit with relative ease, keeping their loved ones close in a tangibly spiritual sense.
Setting Up a Memorial at Home
Many people opt for this option because it’s easy, and it allows your loved one to forever be “by your side.” Adding personal touches to a displayed urn, like photographs, flowers, and sentimental trinkets, can bring an at-home memorial to life and be a nice daily reminder of that special person (or pet) who impacted your life. There is no right or wrong answer related to memorializing a life. It’s wise to start the conversation now so you can find quicker peace in knowing that the final destination of a loved one’s ashes are well placed and are in line with their respective wishes. If you’d like to have an open conversation about your options and what we provide here at Life Forest (for the people and pets in your life), please don’t hesitate to reach out.
